Invited harm. 150,000 pythons out of control, spreading... near daycare, hospital; toddler strangled

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A Burmese python measuring 17 feet in length was caught on the grounds of the Okeechobee Veterinary Hospital - the male snake weighed 207 pounds and measured 26 inches in diameter. The snakes are often abandoned by disgruntled pet owners when they become too large to handle and too expensive to feed. 150,000 snakes "out of control" & spreading - they can reproduce rapidly with female pythons laying up to 80 eggs at a time, and have no natural predators in Florida.

Fla. trapper captures 14-foot python near day care center

Wildlife expert Justin Matthews crawled 25 feet into the pipe and caught a 14-foot python, a snake was big enough to eat an 8-year-old child, in a drainage pipe near a day care center in Bradenton, Fla. "You're laying down, with no room to maneuver at all," says Matthews, who tells WTSP that he forgot to take his knife. "I felt alone." Instead, Matthews, owner of Matthews' Wildlife Rescue, captured the snake after hitting it with a board and scaring it into leaving the pipe.

A plague of Burmese pythons in the Everglades

Joe Wasilewski had almost given up the hunt for the day when a shiny brown outline in the undergrowth caught the corner of his eye. He knew immediately that he had his elusive target in his sights - a Burmese python, one of the thousands infesting the Everglades of southern Florida. The veteran wildlife biologist struck with stealth and speed, grabbing the snake around the back of the neck as he yanked the wildly writhing reptile from the grass. The 10ft long python, with its distinctive brown and beige patterned scales and white belly, instinctively went into survival mode. It opened its jaws wide, hissing as it fought to swivel its head and land a bite with its jagged teeth, while furiously trying to wrap its body around him. "Boy, that's one angry python," said Mr Wasilewski. He hung on resolutely, holding the head away from him and slowly subdued the contorting body with his flexed forearms.

Largest captured Florida python to date weighs in at 200-plus pounds

The largest python so far was captured on Thursday. It was a 207-pound male that measured more than 17-feet long and 26 inches in diameter; however, it was not captured by one of the permitted hunters. Instead, it was shot on the 20-acre compound of the Okeechobee Veterinary Hospital by one of the vets who was alerted to its presence by his nephew. It is illegal to shoot pythons in Florida wildlife management areas or federal lands, but the snakes can be legally shot on private property. The snakes are often abandoned by disgruntled pet owners when they become too large to handle and too expensive to feed. They can reproduce rapidly with female pythons laying up to 80 eggs at a time, and they have no natural predators in Florida.

17-foot Burmese Python Caught in South Florida

A Burmese python measuring 17 feet in length was caught and destroyed on private property in Okeechobee County Thursday afternoon. Captured on the grounds of the Okeechobee Veterinary Hospital, the male snake weighed 207 pounds, and measured 26 inches in diameter. "The capture of this large python shows us how well these snakes can thrive in the wild and create a dangerous situation after illegal release or escape," said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto.

Florida authorizes python hunt

It's not known how many pythons are slinking across South Florida, but state wildlife officials estimate at least tens of thousands. That's a problem because the nonnative Burmese python has no natural predator in Florida. Behnke said state officials are concerned the problem will only get worse and they want to prevent pythons from traveling any farther north. "They reproduce 50 to 100 eggs when they lay the eggs," Behnke said. "They have the ability to withstand different temperatures so there's a possibility they could move north. Now is the time to get started on this and try to prevent it before it becomes even a bigger problem." Burmese pythons easily survive in Florida and can reach a length of 26 feet and weigh more than 200 pounds.

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Photos courtesy of FWC, Robert Duyos / Sun Sentinel, Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel, naturejournals.blogspot.com, Adam Nadel

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